Starring two very famous actors of the era-Lew Ayres and Jean Harlow-this film reveals the pitfalls of the successful fighter, grown arrogant and idle with his wealth. Tod Browning-a director of the 1930s far more legendary for his monster movie creations ( Dracula, Freaks)-turned his attention to the boxing ring in this early sound film. His terror as he scrambles and dives around his opponent is hilarious, but it raises the salient point that the most realistic reaction to being punched repeatedly is to run away. ![]() He winds up impersonating a boxer to impress a girl-and having to go toe-to-toe in a real boxing match. In an attempt to turn himself into a brawny “real man,” a mild-mannered playboy (Keaton) sets out on an adventurous trip into the country. But Lang is careful not to make any explicit social or political commentary, instead letting events unfold in a naturalistic and nonetheless compelling way.īuster Keaton didn’t seem to have a great deal of regard for the sweet science-or at the very least, he delighted in parodying it. Indoctrinated into proud nationalism in spite of their circumstances, the boys wake at 4am to fit their training around school. Filmmaker Andrew Lang unobtrusively films three scrawny pre-teen boys as they train for the National Boxing Championships, but reveals much about their impoverished living conditions in the process. The Cuban boxing scene has long been a hotbed of talent, and starting young is key. That it took so long for his remarkable story to make it to the screen is mostly a testament to the racial animus of the time-but a modern biopic of Louis is long overdue. The legendary 12-year-champ broke down racial barriers and swung his way to greatness as the “Brown Bomber” from 1934 to 1949. Real Golden Gloves pro Coley Wallace filled the role of the inarticulate but astronomically talented fighter. This independently made biographical film about the longest-reigning heavyweight in boxing history was well-meaning but somewhat poorly executed. It’s notable purely because of its unusual subject matter, and the seriousness with which it treats its two “champion lady boxers.” This very brief burlesque is a rare example of two women, replete in gowns and hats, boxing each other with considerable effort and skill. Thomas Edison’s brief East Coast monopoly on the movie business allowed him to produce hundreds of minor silent shorts. You’ll find all of the above in this list of the best boxing movies: Then again, there are light-hearted celebratory biopics and slapstick parodies to choose from, too. They speak of the long dark night of the soul, a damned-if-you-do existentialism where you rise from the gutter only to be chewed up and spat out again by the fierce internal cogs of the sport. ![]() But they can also be brooding meditations on what may have been or could never be. They prod at class divisions, and at what it means to be a ‘man’ in the world. They can be simple fight yarns, but more often they’re other things-explorations of greedy commercial exploitation, poverty, violence, race. With the sport’s mythic, violent clashes and long history of social eruption, it can be an allegory for nearly whatever you want it to be. It’s no surprise filmmakers return to it frequently. As the sport grew in popularity throughout the 20th century, so too did the movie genre. The propulsive excitement and fierce elegance of the sport were perfectly suited to the screen, and some of the earliest surviving motion pictures are filmed boxing matches. Boxing and the cinema have been inseparable from the earliest days of movie-making.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |